Authorities seek clues in torched Santa Cruz County vehicles

SANTA CRUZ -- Investigators probed an arson of three Santa Cruz County fleet vehicles Wednesday, and firefighters suspected that an "accelerant" such as gasoline was poured on two of the vans.

Santa Cruz Deputy Fire Chief Mark Ramos said the two Ford Vans were destroyed at the Santa Cruz County Emeline Street Complex. A third SUV parked next to them was heavily damaged from fire exposure.

"Those kind of burns don't happen without an accelerant," Ramos said Wednesday.

It was not clear if gasoline had been siphoned from the vehicles, if it was brought in, or if another substance was used, he said.

The vans were found on fire about 8 p.m. in a parking lot near Building N at 1082 Emeline Ave. A warehouse for food and supplies was the closest building, and Building K -- which has mental health services -- also is in the vicinity.

Wednesday, investigators retrieved surveillance images that showed some "activity" in the area around the time of the fire, said county spokeswoman Rayne Marr.

The torched vans were in the county's fleet services pool, which county employees could use for county business. They are used for trips to Sacramento, for instance, and within the county, Marr said.

The torched vans were older, but a decision had not yet been made whether to auction them or transfer them to another county department, she said.

Law enforcement also tried to track clues.

Illegal camps in the wooded area behind the parking lot have been a persistent problem, said Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputy Ryan Kennedy, but it's not clear if someone in a camp had anything to do with the fire,

"With that Emeline area in general, there's just people there for good and bad reasons," Kennedy said.

There have been break-ins in the complex in the past.

Kennedy said investigators received some information that could move the investigation forward, but he declined to elaborate.

People tend to run, not walk, from fires, Kennedy said, so deputies encouraged anyone with information about someone running from the blaze to come forward.

Some people have "a predilection to setting things on fire," he said.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call dispatch at 831-471-1121.